My mother and Aunt Deb are Christmas cookie baking queens, estimated to have made somewhere between 15-22 varieties of cookies in the height of their holiday baking sprees. These days they are mastering about 10-15 varieties and holding on to the tradition of preparing and sharing, but I regret to inform you that I am no chip off of this Christmas cookie baking queen block.
Read MoreThe last time I attempted to write was on May 3rd. On May 3rd I started to log all of my fire escape meals and then stopped, it was sudden. The onset likely spurred from an online dating burn, I can tend to get lost in my thoughts and in my mind. I’ll cook, create and eat - there’s always eating -
Read MoreDear Fettuccine with Mushroom Ragout, Every time I pick up my fork your long twirls make my heart skip a beat. Covered in thick heaps of mushrooms, flecked with various shades of brown, I can only imagine that if you were a woman - you’d be that long legged, wild, brunette
Read MoreAre you home in the quarantine and hankering for pasta? Don’t want to socially distance from carbs? I don’t, and I’ve been watching a lot of old Nigella Bites episodes on YouTube - a suggestion from my friend Channon who introduced me to the domestic goddess many moons ago.
Read MoreFor years I’ve been experimenting with making the perfectly fudgy black bean brownie and I’ve finally gotten to a place where I’m ready to reveal the recipe. I’m also turning 40 and after the word fudgy has been highlighted in red all throughout my word documents, I finally went to the internet only to find out that fudgy is not a real word.
Read MoreWhen my mother took out her old brown crockpot, a classic I wish still worked or that she’d have passed down to me, I knew there was only one meal to be made - her classic beef stew. Filled with vegetables, beef (clearly), a heavy pour of red wine, I loved watching her assemble all ingredients in the crockpot and plug it in before she left for work at the bakery.
Read MoreThe freezer section of my local grocer was tapped out of my favorite veggie burgers which was a bummer. Until I discovered I could make an equally if not more delectable veggie burger by tapping into my vegetable meal prep and pantry. If you roast veggies, have a can of beans on hand, some greens and breadcrumbs you can make this too.
Read MoreAt the end of the week I had a few spoonfuls of kale stem hummus and guacamole left, so you must know what I did?! Yup, I mixed the two together to make the creamiest topping to my lunchtime salad. Learn how to make a veggie filled hummus and a classic guac that will last in your fridge for days. Get your snack on!
Read MoreThree more bananas were staring me down in the kitchen this week and I really should be eating them given their benefits when one is PMSing and needs anti bloating and potassium boost for muscle relief. Alas, such is not their story this week. Yet again. The pantry is stocked with peanut butter powder in bulk,
Read MoreBefore the quarantine and an NYC food frenzy went down my pantry was lined with beans, while the bottom shelf of my storage closet had a large bowl filled with sweet potatoes for roasting. These are and always will be two of my main cooking staples. Beans were always a staple in our home,
Read MoreThe other morning I woke up to three very ripe bananas hanging from the hook on the far left of my utility stand in my kitchen. I watched them for days, moving from green to perfectly ripe. Eventually they became speckled with spots and then, finally, covered in brown with no prayer to be eaten. I truly had intentions to eat one
Read MoreRoasted sweet potatoes have to be my ultimate Sunday staple. If I have time to do no cooking whatsoever, I will never ever skip roasting sweet potatoes. No need to fuss and peel or cube and dice, no and no. Simply slice in half and rub with olive oil, placing face down on a baking sheet and roasting on 425 for 20-25 minutes.
Read MoreWith ½ a can of chickpeas, ½ of a lemon, ½ an onion, garlic, a few baby carrots and tomatoes lingering on my countertop, I decided to make a single serving soup for lunch. The spice cabinet is loaded and I’ve feta in the fridge from my trip to the Mediterranean market over a week ago.
Read MoreWhen the going gets tough and you’re in quarantine, grocery items and leaving the house can be limited. You can push cooking aside, you know, like peas on a kids dinner plate. In adulting, cooking has become our universal pea - but I want to help end that struggle by reframing cooking. Especially now and especially during this time.
Read MoreWhen I was kid I spent a lot of time sleeping at friends homes. Between my moms schedule; one that required taking my brother to the hospital a few days a week, and dads late nights truck driving - memories of food that I built outside of my family home have stayed in my heart and still give me comfort today. I loved sleeping over Antoinette’s and it wasn’t just because she had two older brothers that were handsome
Read MoreI didn’t quarantine shop being as my pantry is always stocked for isolation and my refrigerator is a treasure trove of wrapped veggies, greens and more. Cooking in quarantine doesn’t have to be about frozen pre-made meals or bagged snacks, it can still be about smart cooking, using ingredients a few ways and making meals last.
Read MoreMy Dear Friends and Family - As we all sit in a giant bottomless bowl of uncertainty soup, I want to remind you that we can also access our joy at any point in the day. It’s a choice. I know we’re living in unprecedented times and it’s scary. I’m trying to find the gift of time with myself, without being afraid of myself and without thinking into the future.
Read MoreDouble Dinner: the instance in which one eats two dinners; often times lying about having just eaten at a friends house - so another dinner can be eaten before bedtime. And, so, I spent the majority of my childhood eating double dinners as I bounced from friend’s houses to home during most weeknights.
Read More